Monkey Business

He’s written sixteen books. He starred in some 75 movies. He was a speechwriter for President Nixon and President Ford. And, he was awarded seven Emmys for a game show on Comedy Central. I’m referring to actor, author, columnist, lawyer, and movie producer Ben Stein.

Last week, while attending the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, I learned that Ben Stein (yes, the same guy from Win Ben Stein’s Money) was on hand for a screening of his new film called EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed. Let me just say this project is unlike anything he’s done to date.

In EXPELLED, Ben makes a compelling case for Intelligent Design while debunking Darwinism and the theory of evolution. With his classic use of satire, Ben exposes an alarming trend in academia where professors with a conservative viewpoint on the origins of life are muzzled on our college campuses. He also places under his microscope the fact that those who dare question the Darwinian status quo in the science community often lose their jobs and reputation.

Among other things, Ben uncovers academic suppression at Baylor University, censorship at the Smithsonian, and has a fascinating exchange with British evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheist, Richard Dawkins. I was especially surprised by the connection Ben made between Darwinism’s natural selection viewpoint to that of Hitler’s elimination of “useless eaters.” EXPELLED is one of those must-see films sure to spark a national debate when it releases on April 18.

During the Q&A session following the screening, Ben announced EXPELLED will be the first of many hard-hitting films he’ll do tackling such “hot potato topics” like abortion and the redefinition of marriage. Of course, his ability to pursue that dream depends on the financial viability of this release.

That said, and while I don’t often plug movies nor do I agree with everything he’s said or done in the past, I believe this is one of those rare films that every American over twelve years old would benefit from seeing. For movie trailers and a list of cities where EXPELLED will debut can be found, go to: www.expelledthemovie.com.